Newsletter

Sheriffs to collaborate on records database

ATLANTA — A group of about 70 of Georgia's sheriffs are looking at collaborating on a statewide database to share law enforcement records in hopes of cutting costs and speeding up crime solving.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that a measure to create such a database managed by a Sheriff's Cooperative Authority stalled in the Georgia General Assembly this year. However, the group of sheriffs is working with a private vendor to achieve the same goal, said Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills, who also served as the legislative chairman for the Georgia Sheriffs' Association.

"We're taking off and running with it," Sills said. "If you want to get on the train, hey, we'll welcome you."

An initial version of the database is expected to roll out next month.

Carrollton software vendor Eagle Advantage Solutions declined to provide a list of participating departments due to privacy reasons. The company already provides jail and records management systems for sheriff's offices in about 70 counties.

After the project gets off the ground, counties that don't currently contract with Eagle Advantage Solutions may still be offered a way to upload their records and access others'.

The information-sharing system would not be made available to the public.